NEARC Invitation Letter

Boston, March 2012

Dear Anesthesiology Residency Program Director ,

The New England Anesthesia Residents Conference (NEARC) was established in 2007 through an effort of the Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists. NEARC is an annual conference by residents for residents hosted by different training programs in New England on a rotating basis. Residents present their research work, as well as enjoy lectures on different topics designed to promote and increase professionalism, medical knowledge and evidence based medicine skills.

Training programs around the country have banded together to hold such conferences with great success, and New England now has its own forum. By getting together residents from all over New England, they are exposed to different experiences contributing to their professional development. Throughout the past 5 years NEARC has offered a friendly, scholarly and regional venue to residents to present their scholarly and research activities, and has attracted increasing attendance, confirming a need for such an event in New England. The one-day conference usually takes place on a Saturday in the spring (March/April) at a New England host institution. Previous conferences occurred at UMass Medical School, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston University Medical Center, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The NEARC 2012 will be hosted by the University of Vermont Anesthesiology program in Burlington, Vermont . The Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists since 2007, and subsequently the ASA have proudly supported the New England Anesthesia Residents Conference. The MSA has spearheaded this effort and is now taking steps to ascertain the continuity of NEARC as a regular forum by residents for residents’ research and professional development. Participation of fellows and medical students is also feasible in this context.

The MSA and ASA have secured continued limited sponsorship to NEARC. Our goal is the support of New England residents to professionally and academically succeed, regionally as well as nationally.

Your residency program will play an important role for NEARC as NEARC can be important for your program regarding ACGME research requirements. As part of an anesthesiology academic programs community, we would like to develop a schedule for host institutions on a rotating basis. To learn more about the history of prior meetings, an organizational timetable and template and funding sources, as well as contribute your own input, ideas and suggestions for possible economic sponsors, we are developing information on the MSA website. Please visit the MSA website (www. Massanesthesiology.org) in the ‘residents and fellows’ tab under ‘meetings and events’ or go directly to http://www.massanesthesiology.org/residents-and-fellows/meetings-and-events/new-england-anesthesia-resident-conference-nearc.

We kindly ask that you register with the MSA by sending us an e-mail as a NEARC participating institution to facilitate the distribution of NEARC related information to your

residents and faculty and promote participation. If you wish to become a hosting institution, send us an e-mail note, and please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions.

Please support your residents’ engagement in research and develop their leadership skills through NEARC.